Shining New Hope (Pre-Despair!SDR2xReader)

Who Needs Friends When You Have Food

"What the hell does that mean?" Kuzuryu asks, looking at you distastefully. You start to fiddle with your fingers, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"It does exactly what it says on the tin, dimwit!" Saionji pipes in, her tone dismissive.

"I copy people; their talents, their skills..." You take a deep breath in as you continue to explain. "What would take a person years to master, I could copy in a much shorter amount of time." You look around, as some of your classmates put their hands up. "But it's pretty useless if there's no one to copy..." You mumble to yourself.

"So, do you have any original skills of your own?" Koizumi asks curiously, her eyes locking onto yours.

"No, just copying." You reply curtly, noticing that she wants a bit more information you try to think of an example. "In exams, there would always be this clever kid sitting near me and so I would copy their hand movements to get the answers..." You explain. Some of the people look a little confused by this and so you decide to give them a demonstration. You grab a piece of paper from the desk and a pen before looking up towards the back of the class.

"Um, Pekoyama-san, could you please start to write something down..." The swordswoman nods, grabbing her own pen and writing down a rather long passage. You watch her intently, copying every movement she makes, not missing anything.

Once finished you hand the paper to Sonia as Pekoyama does likewise. It takes close scrutiny from both Pekoyama and Sonia before they reach their decision. "They are identical! She even put the small flourishes on!" Sonia exclaims, showing the classmates near her.

"It's too similar." You declare, causing you to get strange looks from your classmates. "I got penalised for cheating, which is when Hope's Peak took notice." You explain, going back to fiddling with your fingers. "My old classmates were rightfully angry that I used them to get better grades..."

"So the longer you are around someone, the easier it is for you to copy them?" Soda questions, more to himself but you pick up on it due to his loud voice and limited attempt to whisper.

"Well, yes. After witnessing something, I usually retain the information if I deem it important." You explain, shuffling nervously from side to side.

"Well, I'm off then! Don't want someone copying my talent!" The boy exclaims, standing up with a strong purpose. "You should come too, Miss Sonia; she may try to replace you." He suggests, sauntering out of the room before a disgusted look crosses her face. Some of the group look at each other before following Soda's lead, sending doubtful looks your way.

"I don't want someone like that copying me..." Saionji mutters distastefully as she drags Koizumi behind her. The photographer mumbles an apology to you before following the short dancer. You look back over the remaining class, noticing that only five people remain. Sonia slowly rises to stand, her eyes filled with excitement.

"Well, I am going off to explore the school grounds a little more!" She exclaims, striding towards the door. "At the palace I wasn't allowed to explore, so now is the perfect time." She explains, leaving the room as the door shuts behind her. You lean back on the wall behind you, wondering what you should do now.

Kuzuryu is the next to rise, a scowl still present on his face as he digs his hands into his pockets. "Well, there is no point in me hanging out with you bastards!" He saunters out of the room with no real purpose. Nanami also stands up, game console glued to her hands. She doesn't say anything, to busy concentrating on the next level of her game.

"Tanaka?" You ask, breaking the extremely uncomfortable silence. The teenager looks up from his hamsters, acknowledging that he is listening. "Do you think that I'm trying to replace people?" The question comes out tentatively, causing the breeder to laugh in a booming manner.